The New Flex Search Sitch

Q. I am retired and can fly on a flexible travel schedule. In past years, I’ve used Travelocity.com and Orbitz.com to pick and choose the cheapest dates to fly, using a flexible “fare calendar” on those websites. But recently I found that this function has disappeared. Where else can I look to find “I’ll fly whenever it’s cheapest” airfares?

A. You’re correct that Travelocity has eliminated its flexible date search tool, which used to allow you to search over several months at a glance. And Orbitz has hidden its flexible date calendar from its home page, although it still exists if you know where to look. Meanwhile, Hotwire, Kayak, and Cheapair all have useful flexible date search tools, as does ITAsoftware. More on this topic here.